Flux 1.1 ProvsFLUX.1 Schnell
Black Forest Labs vs Black Forest Labs — Side-by-side model comparison
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Metric | Flux 1.1 Pro | FLUX.1 Schnell |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Black Forest Labs | |
| Arena Rank | — | — |
| Context Window | — | N/A (image) |
| Input Pricing | $0.04/img/1M tokens | Free (open)/1M tokens |
| Output Pricing | — | Free (open)/1M tokens |
| Parameters | 12B | 12B |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
| Best For | Image generation, design | Fast image generation, prototyping, development |
| Release Date | Oct 2, 2024 | Aug 1, 2024 |
Flux 1.1 Pro
Flux 1.1 Pro is the flagship image generation model from Black Forest Labs, founded by the original team behind Stable Diffusion. It produces high-quality images with excellent prompt adherence and fast generation times. The model competes directly with Midjourney and DALL-E 3 on image quality while offering more flexible API-based access. Black Forest Labs' deep expertise in diffusion models, gained through years of pioneering work on Stable Diffusion, gives Flux a strong technical foundation and rapid iteration cycle.
FLUX.1 Schnell
FLUX.1 Schnell is Black Forest Labs' speed-optimized open-source image model that generates high-quality images in just 1-4 steps. It offers the fastest inference of any high-quality image model, making it ideal for real-time applications and rapid prototyping. Despite its speed, it maintains impressive image quality that rivals much slower alternatives.
View Black Forest Labs profile →Key Differences: Flux 1.1 Pro vs FLUX.1 Schnell
FLUX.1 Schnell is open-source (free to self-host and fine-tune) while Flux 1.1 Pro is proprietary (API-only access).
Flux 1.1 Pro has 12B parameters vs FLUX.1 Schnell's 12B, which affects inference speed and capability.
When to use Flux 1.1 Pro
- +You prefer a managed API without infrastructure overhead
- +Your use case involves image generation, design
When to use FLUX.1 Schnell
- +You need to self-host or fine-tune the model
- +Your use case involves fast image generation, prototyping, development
The Verdict
Flux 1.1 Pro wins our head-to-head comparison with 1 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for image generation, design, though FLUX.1 Schnell holds an edge in fast image generation, prototyping, development.
Last compared: March 2026 · Data sourced from public benchmarks and official pricing pages